The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
by Dragon Pulse
Summary: One shot. Vegeta takes a quiet night at home to realize his true purpose in life. Set post Buu saga.


"Where is this infernal woman? Leaving me here with two children, she's insane!" The man screamed out loud to an audience of nobody. He wouldn't have minded so much, if both of his children were the type to keep quiet, even when they were sleeping. He growled in frustration, looking out the window while waiting for her to arrive home. As he began to realize she was nowhere near, he backed away, turning back to the two sleeping children, who now looked rather peaceful. And quiet, which was good enough for him at this point. 

He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms as a smirk crept up on his face. "You know kid, you look just like your mother." the words slipped out of his mouth quietly, watching the toddler sleep. Her hair was discheveled, and just the same shade of blue that her mother's was. When they slept, it was as if they were identical, give or take a few decades. Vegeta continued to smirk as he looked at the child, his mind beginning to wander off on a tangent, thinking about his life.

_'Revenge. Power. That's all I wanted. The death of my father and my race, the destruction of my planet. Making Freeza pay for all he'd done. Destroying Kakarrot for being so weak, for not taking pride in his Saiyan heritage. How did I become a man with a family, living so peaceful on such a small, and weak planet?'_ The thoughts were racing through his mind, as he began looking back on all that had happened in the last twenty years, since his first arrival on Earth.

_'Bulma, what an enigma. Giving me a home on Earth. Practically forcing me to stay. Bothering me when that useless Yamcha left her again. And then it happened. She was going to father a child. My child. Keep the royal Saiyan bloodline alive. At that point, why would I care about much anything else? I awaited the arrival of the Androids. I wanted to fight, and I wanted to keep our race, the superior race alive. Times of peace came. Is that when I got soft? Bulma always says something about candy. Hard on the outside and soft on the inside. Idiots. It's either all or nothing! I truly am growing soft. Look at me, I train every day, but still I care too much. I've become so... homely! Madness! I spent my life destroying families, entire civilizations, and here I've been having a family and even fighting to protect them!'_

He screamed out loud in anger. His eyes filled up with the rage he once used to carry with him constantly. In time of peace, Vegeta was at war with himself. He wasn't sure what kind of person he was supposed to be. And every day, it ate him alive. It caused him to be callus to everyone around him, including his family. But his pride kept him from accepting the changes that naturally occurred over time. He growled once again, leaving the room to think some more without waking up the sleeping children. He plopped on the sofa, and his eyes immediately locked onto picture that was framed above the fireplace. Bulma laughing, carrying Trunks on her back, and Bra sitting on Vegeta's lap, hugging his arm. He remembered the day clearly. It was last Christmas Eve, prior to seeing his former enemies at the Kame House. Vegeta carried the same scowl he'd become known for, but it meant far more to him than anyone could have realized.

_Arguably the best day of my life, not counting the day I surpassed Kakarrot and became a Super Saiyan. Everyone was so happy. Bra was just learning to speak. If she weren't mine, I would have blasted her for saying "Daddy" so much. Everyone was going to see their friends. Bulma was the calmest I'd ever seen her. Or she was until she saw Kuririn. That little fool always manages to make her angry. But no matter. It was the first time we really were a family. No threats to our home. Freeza took that away from me as a child. I almost felt like a child myself that day. Perhaps that's why Kakarrot was always happy. He never grew up. He was still an idiot though.'_

Vegeta's mind began to calm down. He stood up, pouring himself a drink before walking back into the bedroom where the kids where. He still never understood what his problem was. Why he couldn't just accept the fact that he was a family man and a warrior, all at once. Why he had such a problem being okay with the fact he didn't need to blow up planets and destroy people to be happy. He wasn't even fully sure he knew that true meaning of happy. As he stood in the doorway of the room, he noticed Bra begin to fuss a bit. He put his drink down on the night table, before coming to the side of her bed and picking her up. He rocked her a little bit as he held her close.

_'This has got to end. This damned war with myself is ridiculous. Because I have nobody to fight, that certainly doesn't mean I should fight with myself. I'm not going to risk my family's well being because I cannot cope with the inferior people on this planet. My children and the heirs to my throne. I can't be the Prince of all Saiyans when I am dead. Here I have the Princess of Saiyans. My father would have been far nobler about such things. He risked his life to protect our people. So did Kakarrot's father. As foolish as it was for any of us to try and stop Freeza, they did what was needed to protect our people. Now we're all that's left. Kakarrot's family, me and mine. That's why I have to train and try to once again surpass Kakarrot, even when he is no longer alive. Not to be the strongest as I once thought. To protect our damned race! We're dwindling. I'm the Prince. I should be noble and proud. Not proud and foolish! I wasted so much time planning the day I would defeat Kakarrot. What an imbecile I've been!'_

Bra calmed down, falling back into a peaceful sleep. Vegeta gently placed the young heiress back down, just as things became clear to him. He realized that he needed to stop denying what he now stood for. He was going to protect his people and his family. And he would train young Trunks to do so as well. Life was no longer about destroying a planet, but about protecting the race he'd spent his lifetime being so proud of. The only thing he could possibly be angry about now was the fact that Kakarrot had his reason for fighting right all along. He knew one day Kakarrot would return, and they'd spar once more - and at that moment, they would both understand what Vegeta had grown to be. One day, that's what he hoped for.

He made his way to the other side of the room, now looking over Trunks. Looking at him now, Vegeta was reminded of when he met his future counterpart. They were certainly identical. But his son was much more privileged. He got to know his family, his heritage, and get to live in a time of peace. He never told people that he often worried about his _other_ son, and if he'd destroyed the Androids in his time. If he and his mother ever got live peacefully. Bulma may be the only other person who knew, simply because she could relate.

"You know kid, I never did hug you as a baby," he quietly said out loud to the sleeping boy. "But it's not that I don't care. One day, you'll understand. It'll all make sense."

Vegeta sighed to himself, sitting on the edge of the bed and ruffling Trunks' hair. He let out a small groan before rolling over, causing Vegeta to let out a small smile. It was traits like that where he took after his mother. He sighed once again, feeling a tinge of guilt over the way he treated his family in the past. He almost let Trunks and Bulma die at one point, but now, he'd be hard pressed to survive without them. He needed them in the same way they needed him.

"I'll be a family man as long as there's peace, I suppose," he stated out loud. The sound of keys turning in the front door caught his attention. Bulma was home from wherever she had disappeared off to a few hours earlier. He looked back at the kids one last time before exiting the room, the most genuine smile that had ever graced his face appeared for just a short second. As Bulma entered the house, his infamous scowl once again returned, making a quip about her taking too long.

It would be years before any of them realized how much they all truly meant to him.

* * *

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. All Dragon Ball Z characters are © Akira Toriyama/Bird Studio, etc._

_ A/N: And there you go, just a little one-shot. Thank you to Dumbledore Prince for catching all the stupid grammatical errors I missed! XOXO  
_


End file.
